The Guardian: Why do a million women still suffer the treatable condition of fistula?
Kate Grant, CEO of the Fistula Foundation

“…The most crucial variable in the outcomes for women is the competency of the surgeon developed over years of experience. Yet the biggest challenge to treating more women [with fistula] goes beyond money, it is lack of health care infrastructure. … We are now learning what can move the needle with our program in Kenya called Action on Fistula. The beauty of this effort is it confronts health care weaknesses head-on by training more surgeons through the global competency-based manual developed by Figo (the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics), building treatment capacity at seven hospitals, creating a community of practice among local fistula surgeons, and partnering with women’s groups to identify patients and secure treatment. In just two years, we have treated more than 1,200 women — the number we had hoped to treat in three years. This effort is yielding results that can be replicated, while providing capacity to treat fistula in Kenya…” (5/23).